“You danced for me in your heels. Back in our day, people knew how to seduce someone into bed. Now, all it takes is a few too many beers.”
“Do you think this baby will be dumb?” I asked, ignoring their nostalgia. “I mean, we always assumed Sutter’s dad must be a genius. Zodiac’s hot, but he doesn’t strike me as smart.”
“He’s a good fighter,” Ford said and nodded. “He’s fast and doesn’t pull his punches. I hope this kid inherits those skills.”
“But what if he’s not smart and then resents Sutter?”
“All kids resent their older siblings,” Ford explains. “You used to get mad at how Clint could do shit you couldn’t, like piss a long distance. Hell, Pax still resents me for being better in every way. It’s normal.”
Carrying a bowl of pita chips and hummus to the living room, I sat on the couch and pouted.
“Should I have sex with Zodiac when he comes over for dinner?”
Wearing my most innocent expression, I stared at my parents and waited for their answer.
Ford cracked first. “Are you fucking kidding?”
I laughed and nodded. “Should I have Sutter stay next door while Zodiac is here for dinner?”
“Why? It’s not like you’ll be getting lucky. I don’t want you even making out with that man in my house.”
“Our house,” I insisted.
“No, it’s mine first,” Ford insisted, giving me a hard, scary look. “Then, your mom’s. And then Sutter’s. You’re fourth in line with the pets close behind.”
“That seems like bullshit,” I growled, flashing him my scariest look, only for my dad to smile like I was adorable. “However, I’m too weirded out to stand up to you right now.”
“Weirded out, why?”
“My attraction to Zodiac leaves me feeling strange. Why him? He’s not the first handsome guy to show interest, yet I feel him even when he isn’t in the room.”
Shay shared a scowl with Ford while I scarfed down pita chips.
“I’m happy about the baby, even if the rest of it is confusing,” I announced despite my parents sharing a silent conversation. “Worst case scenario, Zodiac ditches me, and I raise the baby completely on my own like I did with Sutter.”
Shay smiled and stroked my head. “Yeah, baby, you never needed a bit of help.”
I mimicked her grin and thought back to when Sutter was a tiny baby. Pregnancy barely fazed me. I didn’t feel any particular connection to the baby growing in me. When he was born, I thought I might be broken since I had zero motherly instincts. Then, on day two, when Sutter and I left the hospital, everything just clicked for me, and I couldn’t get enough of my little boy.
My parents protected Sutter and me during that special time. They helped when I needed it and backed off when I had to stand on myown. Sutter grew up to be a confident kid, even when he got razzed for being a nerd at school or felt exasperated by dumb adults.
Soon, I’d be faced with raising a newborn again. I was older—and occasionally wiser—but I felt like a dummy whenever my thoughts turned to Zodiac. Though I wasn’t sure another round of sex would fix my problem, I couldn’t imagine fucking would make the situation any worse.
ZODIAC
With the LM Jokers suffering from severe butthurt toward the Black Rainbow, I was forced to stay with one of the Crimson Guard members for “my safety.” In reality, I suspected Clint worried I’d kill one of the Jokers and cause issues with his buddy, Tricky Curran.
I ought to refuse a babysitter. I’d been in and out of Little Memphis plenty over the last few months. Now, with Elle carrying my critter, I planned to visit the city more often to make sure she obeyed my rules.
Normally, I bunked at Rowdy Reed’s condo. Clint’s cousin would feed me decent pizza and shitty sandwiches. We played shooter games and watched Kung Fu movies. Occasionally, he’d share a family story that made me understand Elle better. Rowdy also liked to lie about random shit, so I never fully trusted anything he said.
With Rowdy out of town, I got stuck with Boone Chester who I didn’t know as well. He rode up to the pizza place and said to follow him back to the condos. I shot Exile a dirty look, so he wouldn’t feel secure in himself after months of lying right to my fucking face. Once my VP was properly shamed, I climbed on my specialized motorcycle.
Boone guided me to the Five Points Lofts. We arrived at the underground garage just as Tricky and his club VP Jagger left the elevator. The men were the sons of the old Little Memphis Motorcycle Club’s leadership, Joker and Madden. Neither of them reacted to me, but I noticed Jagger give Boone a head nod of acknowledgement.
Once we stepped inside the elevator on our way to Boone’s third-floor condo, he said, “Tricky’s still mad about Rowdy kicking his ass months ago. He claims Rowdy cheated.”
“Tricky is a bitch.”
